The Full Czech Motion System: přestěhovat se, sejít se, nést/vést/vézt
Chapter 4 gave you five prefixes; here are the rest — plus the three carrying verbs that turn the motion system into a complete physics of daily life.
Across and Through
pře- — across: přejít ulici (cross the street), přestěhovat se (move house — carry yourself across), přeložit (translate — carry meaning across languages). pro- — through: projít parkem (walk through the park — with the instrumental as the path).
Přestěhovali jsme se do Brna.
We moved to Brno.
Note: pře- + stěhovat se — the moving-house verb, with jsme and se queued in slot two.
Reaching and Rounding
do- — as far as, reaching: dojít do práce (make it to work), dojet (reach by vehicle). ob- — around: obejít náměstí (walk around the square).
Together and Apart
sejít se — to meet up: Sejdeme se v sedm — you've said this since Chapter 2, and now it unpacks itself: se- (together) + jít. Its dark twin: rozejít se — to part ways, to break up.
Sešli jsme se v hospodě. Oni se bohužel rozešli.
We met up at the pub. They, sadly, broke up.
Note: Together and apart — one prefix pair carries both.
The Carrying Triad
Like jít/chodit, the carrying verbs pair one-off with habitual: nést/nosit (carry), vést/vodit (lead), vézt/vozit (transport by vehicle). Nesu tašku — I'm carrying the bag now; nosím brýle — I wear glasses (Chapter 4's fashion verb, finally unmasked as habitual carrying).
Common Mistakes
- vést vs vézt. One čárka apart: vést leads on foot, vézt drives. The past tense splits them clearly: vedl vs vezl.
- projít + accusative. Through-motion takes the instrumental: projít parkem.
- Building unknown verbs shyly. Trust the parts: od + nést = carry away. The system wants you to compose.
What You Can Do Now
You can express any movement precisely — across, through, around, together, apart — carry, lead and drive things grammatically, and decode prefixed verbs you've never seen from their parts.